Filmmaker Andrew Kötting takes his 85-year-old grandmother and seven-year-old
daughter on a clockwise journey around Britain's coastline, finding that the
seaside communities host a wealth of eccentrics. Gladys is strong and
opinionated, constantly interrupting with anecdotes and confusing reminiscences
while Eden, the young girl, suffers from Joubert Syndrome and can only talk
through sign language. A triumphant blend of the home and road movie genres and
a stunning example of 'psychogeography', in the words of Iain Sinclair.

****

Andrew Kotting's touching, personal 1997 documentary about his 6,000-mile
journey along the coasts of England, Wales, and Scotland with his 90-year-old
grandmother and his 7-year-old daughter, who suffers from the serious
neurological disease Joubert's syndrome. Far from depressing and often funny,
this has as many quirky aspects as the films of Ross McElwee and manages to
cover an interesting range of topics as well.

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The
Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Disc 1

Bitrate:

Disc 2

Audio

English (Dolby Digital 1.0)

Subtitles

English, None

Features

Release Information:Studio: BFI Video

Aspect Ratio:Original aspect Ratio 1.75:1

Edition Details:

• Eleven
short films: Smart Alek, Lŕ Bas, Gallivant (The Pilot), Jaunt, Klipperty
Klöpp, Hoi-Polloi, Acumen, H.B. 1829 (his badblöod), Diddyköy, Invalids
and Me
• Visionary Landscapes, a new 2-screen film, made in
collaboration with Jem Finer, which reworks Super 8 outtakes from
Gallivant and combines them with beautifully constructed soundscapes
• Two illustrated booklets: one containing an essay by Iain
Sinclair and film notes by Andrew Kötting; the other containing the
original treatment for Gallivant

What a
beautiful film. Very touching and humorous - a marvelous example of what the power
of cinema (even limited cinema) can do.

We have a lot of leeway for
independent films (Super 8) like this that have obviously produced a rather
pragmatic print. I don't suspect that if BFI had 16X9 enhanced they
could have achieved a better result. I am also unsure of the extensive
cost of making this progressive. It does exhibit some 'combing' but at
the stage the original negative was in it may have seemed most prudent
to allow the limited technical charm of the production to speak for
itself. After all, this is not what the film is about. Optional
subtitles are of definite value as verbal audio can be quite scattered.
The package (see above) is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen
and the extras and shorts are a loving touch for a film that deserves
some exposure. Owning this, I think that you will treasure it dearly.